Bare-handed Seizure of Bows, Leading the Charge to Break Through

Swish! Swish! Swish!

Several elite scouts were instantly struck by arrows and collapsed to the ground. Feng Quan and Feng Ruo grabbed Zhao Cheng, darting behind a tree into the thicket with anxious expressions.

"Damn it, the enemy had an ambush set up! We've walked right into their trap!"

At this moment, the rustling of footsteps could be heard from all directions, and the sound of bowstrings twanging echoed from every side.

Before they even realized it, they had been completely surrounded.

The group had come in disguise, armed with nothing more than wood-chopping axes. With the enemy well-prepared, numerous, and maintaining a tight perimeter, even the most elite scouts were left with no options.

Zhao Cheng looked up into the forest, where the figures of enemy soldiers flickered in and out of sight.

"Stay hidden here; I'm going to take a look..."

Feng Quan and his companion were startled and moved to grab him, only to find that Zhao Cheng had already vanished into the brush ahead.

His figure was like a leopard, darting away in an instant.

Not long after, the pained cries of enemy soldiers erupted from the direction Zhao Cheng had taken, followed by the sharp, explosive twang of a bowstring.

The scouts were all taken aback.

That specific sound was far too recognizable; besides the Commandant, who else could draw a bow to such a degree?

"Quick, break out toward the Commandant's position!"

As if they had received a clear signal, the scouts moved in perfect unison toward the source of the bowshots.

The explosive twang of the bowstring sounded from not far away, steadily advancing into the distance.

Feng Quan and Feng Ruo led the scouts in close pursuit. Along the way, they found many enemy corpses, each with a throat pierced by a single arrow. They immediately stripped the bodies of their gear.

It served as both a disguise and a means to bolster their defensive strength.

Following the direction of the bowshots, they began their breakout.

The familiar feeling returned.

With Zhao Cheng in the lead, they barely encountered any enemies. Before long, they had broken through the encirclement and truly stepped into the area where the residents of Ye County gathered supplies.

At this, everyone let out a long sigh of relief.

Zhao Cheng discarded his bow and arrows and reunited with the group.

"Although we've broken out, supplies in the city are scarce. It isn't just the residents; the Han Army will also send men here to forage. I fear there will be no shortage of scouts and hidden sentries. To avoid alerting the enemy, we will split up from here on out and communicate via secret signals."

With that, the scouts immediately dispersed to carry out their tasks, each finding a place to lie in wait.

Only Feng Quan and Feng Ruo remained by Zhao Cheng's side as the three of them continued deeper into the mountains.

Kunyang Mountain was steep, filled with cliffs, dense forests, and canyons that were often only wide enough for one or two people to pass through at a time.

As Zhao Cheng and his men ventured deeper, they gradually found the narrow, winding paths trodden by woodcutters and hunters.

Feng Quan and Feng Ruo kept a certain distance from Zhao Cheng and went off to chop wood.

A woodcutter wouldn't return to the city without a load of firewood, so the two of them still needed to gather a large bundle before they could prepare to enter the city.

Zhao Cheng waited without urgency, finding a pile of dry leaves and twigs to start a fire using the friction method.

He took the two wild rabbits he had caught, cleaned them in a few swift motions, skewered them with wooden spears, and began to roast them.

By the time Feng Quan and Feng Ruo had finished their woodcutting, Zhao Cheng's rabbits were roasted to a golden brown, the aroma wafting through the air.

He tore off a rabbit leg, took a bite, and savored the rich flavor, a satisfied smile appearing on his face.

In a few large bites, he finished the rabbit leg entirely.

Just as he was about to reach for the other leg, the sound of footsteps approached from afar, causing the dry branches and leaves to crunch loudly.

At the same time, an angry shout rang out: "Who is starting a fire here?!"

Zhao Cheng looked up to see two Han soldiers in light armor approaching aggressively, glaring at him.

He suppressed the urge to slaughter them both to claim their life force and explained, "My lords, I am a hunter from the city. I've been working on the mountain for too long and was truly famished, so I caught some wild game to fill my stomach..."

The two Han soldiers glanced at Zhao Cheng once before looking away, their gazes glued to the roasted, fragrant rabbit. Both of them swallowed hard.

The Big Head soldier on the left widened his eyes and barked, "With the Qin Army pressing on our borders, you are here lighting fires and creating smoke—are you not signaling military intelligence?"

The other soldier, Thick Neck, kept his eyes fixed on the roasted rabbit, swallowing again involuntarily, unable to contain his impatience. "This must be a Qin spy! Seize him!"

Zhao Cheng had already discerned their true intentions. As his thoughts raced, he decided to spare their lives and use them as a stepping stone.

He raised his hunting knife, split the rabbit in two, and held it out.

"You two lords have had a hard time guarding the city; this is a small token of my appreciation."

The two men grinned instantly, their mouths stretching nearly to their ears. They snatched the rabbit and began to gnaw on it happily, no longer sparing Zhao Cheng a single glance.

As they ate, they mumbled, "You're a thoughtful one... Mmm! This rabbit is roasted quite well."

"It seems you are a hunter who often goes up the mountain to roast rabbits; the enemy spies wouldn't have this kind of skill."

They were overjoyed to eat the fragrant roasted rabbit, completely unaware that they had walked through the gates of hell twice over.

Zhao Cheng wore a worried expression, "My two lords, the Qin Army is so vicious. If they can't take the city, won't they really come up to this mountain to kill people?"

The Big Head soldier said, "Don't worry, the General ordered us to keep watch in these mountains. With our keen senses, the Qin Army has nowhere to hide!"

"Furthermore, our General has long made arrangements to the east of Kunyang Mountain, setting up a net from which there is no escape. If the Qin Army dares to come, we will ensure they never return!"

"Even if one or two fish slip through the net, we still have many troops in North Mountain gathering supplies and patrolling. We will kill every single one we see!"

Thick Neck also added, "It's only because your rabbit was roasted properly that we didn't take you down for your earlier behavior, brother!"

Keen senses, my foot!

Zhao Cheng was speechless, though his face remained anxious, "I have been on edge all day, terrified that a Qin soldier might pop out from somewhere and hack me to death."

"How about this? I am willing to give this roe deer to the garrison to supplement their supplies, if only you two would escort me back to the city."

Big Head pointed at Zhao Cheng and mocked, "You look sturdy enough and seem to be a good hunter, so why are you such a coward?"

Thick Neck kept glancing at the other wild rabbit on Zhao Cheng's shoulder, "That rabbit of yours... why don't you roast that one too?"

Zhao Cheng hurriedly shielded the other rabbit as if his life depended on it, "The rice jar at home is empty, and I have parents and a younger sister; I'm counting on this rabbit to help us hold out for a few more days..."

Big Head waved his hand impatiently, "Fine, fine. You can come back with us in a moment, but you must tell everyone that we caught this roe deer."

Zhao Cheng nodded repeatedly, "That goes without saying, that goes without saying."

The two soldier-thugs ate the roasted rabbit until nothing remained, picking every shred of meat from the crevices of the bones before standing up and dusting themselves off.

"Let's go, follow us back to the city."

Unexpectedly, Zhao Cheng suddenly shouted toward the forest, "Feng Quan, Feng Ruo! Come quickly, we're going home."

"Coming, coming!"

The two men ran out from the depths of the woods, drenched in sweat.

They were carrying large bundles of firewood, their backs hunched under the weight.

When they saw the two Han soldiers standing beside Zhao Cheng, they were startled, their backs hunching further and their heads bowing even lower.

Good heavens, where did the lord find two Han soldiers to join us?

The two soldier-thugs had been somewhat impatient, but when they saw the massive bundles of firewood on the backs of Feng Ruo and the other, a smile appeared on their faces.

Big Head looked at Zhao Cheng and pointed at the firewood on the men's backs.

Zhao Cheng understood and said to Feng Quan and the other, "The Qin Army is causing chaos and the mountains are dangerous. These two lords are kind enough to escort us into the city."

"We can't let them make the trip for nothing, this firewood of yours..."

Feng Quan and his companion were stunned. Were these two Han soldiers blind? They actually wanted to escort enemy spies into the city?

However, they were quick to react, "Many thanks, soldiers! As long as we can get home safely, we are willing to give half of this firewood to you to supplement the military supplies."

The two soldier-thugs were delighted, "Let's go."

Whether for keeping warm at night or cooking, firewood was an essential item for the army.

The soldiers sent out were not only tasked with patrolling and keeping watch, but also had to gather a certain amount of supplies to bring back; they had quotas to meet.

Now that they didn't have to do anything and could still get a roe deer and two large bundles of firewood, they were naturally grinning from ear to ear.

Thus, the two led Zhao Cheng and his men toward Ye County, walking with a swagger and acting as if they were on familiar ground.

Along the way, Zhao Cheng chatted with the two, showing them great reverence in every word, which made them feel puffed up with pride and led them to divulge much information about the city.

As they traveled, they occasionally encountered other Han soldiers patrolling and foraging on the mountain.

"Oh ho, a roe deer!"

"Haha, yes! This little brother helped us catch it."

"And two big bundles of firewood, you've had quite a haul this trip."

"Can't help it, it's their heartfelt gesture, and it wouldn't be right to refuse."

Big Head greeted them while showing off his "spoils."

With him providing cover, Zhao Cheng and his group walked openly, and no one suspected anything amiss.

They arrived at the north side of the city.

The north side of Ye County relied on steep mountain cliffs; in many places, there was no city wall at all, as the cliffs themselves were impassable.

Between some of these mountains were narrow gorges that allowed the common people to leave the city and enter the mountains. The Han Army had set up checkpoints here to resist infiltration and small-scale incursions.

Unfortunately, despite all precautions, it is hard to guard against an enemy within.

Big Head and Thick Neck led Zhao Cheng and his group to the checkpoint at Wolf Tooth Gorge. The garrison guards wanted to stop them for an inspection, but Big Head waved his hand while carrying the roe deer.

"Our own people, our own people. Hunters and woodcutters from the city."

The guard looked at the roe deer on Big Head's shoulder, then at the wild rabbit hanging from the wooden spear on Zhao Cheng's shoulder, and insisted, "No, we must inspect them."

"Let me see that rabbit. Is there a weapon hidden inside?"

Thick Neck carried two large bundles of firewood and said, "What is there to check? Come on, I'm going to call Lord Xu, and we'll roast this roe deer to eat."

The guards relaxed upon hearing this, their attention entirely captured by the roe deer, and they allowed Zhao Cheng and his two companions to enter the city.

However, Zhao Cheng had only taken a few steps when Big Head suddenly called out to him, "Hey, hunter! Stop right there!"

Feng Quan and Feng Ruo immediately tensed up.

Zhao Cheng turned his head back, "What is it?"

Big Head said, "Your roasted meat smells good. Stay here and roast a roe deer for us before you go."

What the hell?

Zhao Cheng was speechless. He signaled for Feng Ruo and the other to enter the city first while he walked toward the guard post.

Feng Quan and Feng Ruo were incredibly nervous.

If they were being thoroughly searched, they might not make it through, but going into the enemy camp to roast a roe deer and facing an officer directly—how was that any different from dancing on the edge of a blade? If their cover was blown, wouldn't they be walking straight into the tiger's den?

They were anxious, but they could only watch helplessly as Zhao Cheng stepped into the camp.

Inside the camp.

Thick Neck went to the Centurion and said he had caught a roe deer to offer him. The Centurion was delighted and walked into the camp.

Seeing Zhao Cheng's skillful and efficient movements as he cleaned the roe deer with remarkable precision, the Centurion nodded in satisfaction.

"Your technique is quite good. Are you a hunter from the North Market?"

Zhao Cheng's expression remained unchanged, and he smiled as usual, "My lord, you jest. How could there be a North Market in our city? I am from the East Market; my home is not far south of it."

It was fortunate that he had managed to extract so much information about the city from Big Head earlier, or he would have been exposed by that one sentence!

The Centurion nodded, "A slip of the tongue. When you return from hunting, do you usually clean your catch and sell it at the East Market in the evening?"

Zhao Cheng maintained his calm smile, "My lord, you must usually have your servants handle the shopping. The East Market is a morning market; it doesn't open in the evening. I usually clean the catch at night and go out in the morning to sell some for rice. I don't always have a good haul when I go up the mountain; only when I have a bit more can my family afford to eat some."

The Centurion's smile softened. His gaze swept over the arm Zhao Cheng had accidentally exposed, and seeing no sword or blade scars, his suspicions vanished.

Although this man was tall and sturdy, he did not look like a soldier. He must have developed such a physique from years of hunting and eating meat.

By now, the roe deer was roasted until the skin was crispy and the meat tender, sizzling with fat and emitting an appetizing aroma.

The Centurion's appetite was whetted, and he looked at the wild rabbit on the side, "Why aren't you roasting that rabbit?"

Zhao Cheng looked troubled, "My lord, we have no rice left at home. My elderly parents and young sister are waiting for a meal. This rabbit is meant to be traded for life-saving rations..."

The Centurion remained unmoved, "Roast it as well. You can just go hunting again tomorrow."

Zhao Cheng felt a pang of heartache and began to contemplate murder.

There were over a hundred men in this camp, but they weren't enough for him to kill.

However, killing them would only alert the enemy, and his subsequent operations would not be as smooth.

With tens of thousands of garrison troops in the city, without the coordination of a large army, he might not finish killing them all even in three days and three nights; it would be far too troublesome.

As these thoughts raced through his mind, Zhao Cheng still didn't make a move. He gritted his teeth and began to prepare the wild rabbit.

Damn it, I caught two wild rabbits and only got to eat one leg!

Once this city is taken, I'll be the first to roast you, you Centurion.